Danielle Herrington has only been on the modeling scene a short while, and already she’s making waves in a major way. Herrington becomes just the third Black woman to grace the cover of the popular Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, and connected with a piece of the storied history of the issue in real time.

Hailing from Compton, California, Herrington just began modeling last year and already has catapulted to the forefront of the industry by landing the iconic SI swimsuit cover issue. In the online cover story of the issue, which is on newsstands now, Herrington crossed paths with the issue’s first Black model in Tyran Banks in a surprise visit that was captured on video.

Danielle started her career just last year and stole the hearts of so many SI Swimsuit fans. The Compton, Calif. native mesmerized as she posed for her first professional shoot (EVER) in beautiful Fiji. “I remember being told I was going to live in New York,” Danielle said last year after seeing her first photos in the magazine. “Six months later, I’m a Swimsuit model.”

“Last year, Danielle was a rookie, and yet already an exemplary model,” said SI Swimsuit Editor MJ Day. “She’s an extra hard worker and a natural brand ambassador. All those things separately don’t guarantee a cover, though. Danielle was a shy girl, who went from taking her first photos last year to showing up this year a completely different person. All the good things about her seemed to be magnified.

It appears that the sky’s clearly the limit for Danielle Herrington. Check out the video of Tyra Banks and the new SI swimsuit issue cover star below. Learn more about the 2018 swimsuit issue by following this link.